Lost Love by BillieK26
Ch 10
You have everything I ever wanted. I can’t let you keep it.
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John took Evangeline home before going to the office. When he got there Sonja was waiting for him.
"Afternoon," he said, hanging up his jacket as he entered the room.
"Good Afternoon," she replied, "I been looking into the Santis to see if there are any other stragglers waiting in the midst and I can’t find anything. Granted since the entire organization has been wiped out and El Tiberon has been stopped, there are probably not too many heavies that would come out in the open."
"Well, thanks for looking. I appreciate it."
"How are Evangeline and Dani?"
"They’re okay. How are you?"
"I’m making it. Antonio going back to Jessica was a blow, especially after I lost my brother, too," she said, "Hey, I was looking at the case file. There isn’t a lot to go on. Whoever is threatening Evangeline is really good? They haven’t left much physical evidence at all."
"Yeah, I know. That’s what has me worried. It’s like they know how to get around us; what we’re looking for, you know."
"Maybe they do. Evangeline has probably crossed a lot of people who might know how to do this kind of job."
"What are you talking about?" John asked getting a funny feeling.
"I mean, she was a defense attorney. She could have run up against some cops who didn’t take kindly to her. This person whoever he or she is could be closer than you think. You know how it is."
"Yeah, I do," he said looking at her speculatively.
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Evangeline was bored. She was used to being busy and this whole thing was changing her life and she didn’t like it one bit. She had received threats, but she wasn’t worried about herself. The threats against Dani however were unacceptable. She was worried about how all of this would affect John and Dani. Her leaving was out, but she would not let anyone hurt either of them. She would do whatever she had to keep them both safe. She was a fighter. The only problem was that she didn’t have anything to go on. If this person kept making threats, they would eventually leave some clues. She just had to be strong and hold out.
With that in mind, she called Nora and invited her over for an early dinner. John would be at the station until late and with Dani staying with Eve for the next few days, she needed to spend time with her best friend. Daniel and Matthew were on a camping trip, so Nora was quick to accept the invitation.
Within 20 minutes, Nora was sitting at the kitchen counter of the McBain residence, talking to Evangeline as she prepared a quick meal of Chicken Stir Fry.
"I stopped at the store and picked up a couple of those Bride Magazines. I knew you wouldn’t want to talk about this stalker, so I figured we could spend some time planning this wedding that you’re going to have."
Evangeline smiled from where she stood at the stove, "Nora thanks for trying to distract me. I really appreciate it."
"You’re welcome, what are best friends for?"
"This very thing."
They sat at the table eating and going through the magazines. Evangeline found the dress that she wanted. It was beautiful. With fitted long sleeves and a V-neck, the off-white gown looked regal. The beading on the bodice was amazing. Evangeline couldn’t wait to try it on. She and Nora picked three dresses for the attendants to choose from before Nora had to get back to office.
After Nora left, Evangeline went into the den and curled up on the sofa listening to some jazz. She had just dozed off when the doorbell rang. She wasn’t expecting anyone, but she knew that John had a patrol officer watching the house. She opened the door and was surprised to see Natalie standing on the front step.
"Natalie, hi. What are you doing here?"
"I had some time this afternoon and thought I might just stop by and see if you had time to go over the work that needs to be done on the project."
"Sure. I’m sorry, come on in," Evangeline said and waved to the officer parked across the street. She led Natalie into the den, where she had placed the information for the community center event.
"Evangeline, I couldn’t help but notice the police car outside. Is everything alright?"
"There’ve been a few threats against the family and the police car is just a precaution."
"What kind of threats?"
"I’m sorry Natalie, I really don’t want to talk about that, but let’s get to this paperwork."
"Sure, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable."
"No problem."
The two women reviewed the material and discussed some additional activities that could be added to the event.
"Where is Dani? She’s such a sweetheart," Natalie asked after they had been talking for a while.
"She’s at her grandmother’s for a few days."
"Oh, I’m sure it’s nice for you and John to have some alone time. I can only imagine what it’s like to have a four year old around."
"You’re right that it‘s nice to have some alone time, but we both miss Dani when she’s not home with us because she really is a product of the love we have for each other."
Natalie looked uncomfortable for a moment and went back to the materials laid out on the table. When Evangeline had gone over all that needed to be done, she gave Natalie her notes.
"Natalie, do you think you’ll be able to handle all this in time for the event?"
"Of course, you’ve done most of the work already. Surely, I can take it from here."
"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it to sound like you couldn’t take care of the plans."
"I know," Natalie smiled, and moved toward the front door, "I’ve got it. I’ll just leave and let you have some time before John gets home."
"Natalie, thanks again for taking over the project. I really appreciate it."
"I’m glad you trust me with it."
Evangeline watched Natalie pull out of the driveway, before closing the door. She got a weird vibe from Natalie. She realized that they would never be friends, but she did want to get along with her. Evangeline remembered how dysfunctional Natalie’s life had been and felt for the girl. She hoped that her life was turned around and that things were good.
As she was heading back to the den, the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hey, how is your day going? Did Nora come over?"
"Hi. My day is good. Nora did come over, but guess what?"
"What?"
"Natalie came over to talk about the event at the community center."
"Really? Why today?"
"Yeah, I guess she had some extra time today and decided to get it out of the way."
"That’s interesting. How did that go?"
"It went okay. She was nice. She asked about Dani and you. I think I might have offended her at one point."
"You? How?"
"I asked her if she was sure she could handle everything."
"That’s a legitimate question."
"Yeah, well, I think it might have hurt her feelings."
"I’m sure that she’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it."
"I’m not. When are you getting home?"
"I’m on my way home now. Do you want me to stop?"
"Would you stop at the diner and pick up something for dinner? I don’t feel like cooking tonight."
"I can put something on the grill when I get there."
"That’s okay. Just grab something and bring it with you."
"Okay. What are we doing tonight?"
"Whatever you want to do."
"Well, that narrows it down to one thing."
"And what would that be, Lieutenant?"
"Just being with you."
